DOCUMENTATION IS A CONVERSATION
Request Merle Scharmann's second grade room
Liz Barlock - Kindergarten Melissa Makagon - First Grade Merle Scharmann - Second Grade
Session Description: A mutual interest in coming to know the young child and their developmental differences brought a kindergarten teacher, first grade teacher, and a second grade teacher together around the question “How Do We Know What Our Children Know?”
Through ongoing conversation we have explored Visible Thinking practices, the Reggio approach, Portfolio, and Memory. Come and hear our journey through our ongoing investigation of children and our practice of the art of Documentation. What are our children’s responses to routines in Visible Thinking? How can children “document” their own learning? How do we make the decision of what to document? What is the role of observation?
Join our discussion and you, too, will discover that DOCUMENTATION IS A CONVERSATION.
Hi Visible Thinking Group -
Thanks for your feedback - you are on a great track. We agree with you about your ideas for the symposium. It is OK to not know your destination right now. Sharing your journey at the symposium would be meaningful.
It also sounds like you could really use a chunk of time. We would like to offer a half day that we would get you subs for you to really focus on your work. When you are ready to take advantage of this offer, please submit a brief proposal to us. Please include: desired amount of time, preferred days and times, outcomes, action plan for work, desired expertise or assistance if any.
Thanks,
The Group
Are you interested in sharing more of what you are doing with the Baker faculty and staff or perhaps seeing some ideas implemented in other classrooms? Or is that less of a priority for you as you are exploring it for yourselves right now? thinking we want to continue to explore with our group. We are still trying to figure out the process and reflect on our findings before we share with the rest of the faculty.
Have you given any more thought to what might be meaningful and helpful to you as a group as well as to the Baker community? as we document and learn more about our children- we are questions and talking more about child development and appropriate practice. Maybe getting a child development expert in to Baker to speak about what is appropriate for each age level would be helpful.
In fact, what is your ideal version for the symposium? Who would you like to share with and for what purpose? Much depends on the outcome of the process of this journey... we can talk about our journey but don't really know if our destination will be reached. We would be interested in sharing but don't know what it would look like.
Would additional time during a school day help for you to meet? Are there any NLU professors that you would be interested in connecting with at this point? What else can we do to help? Maybe after 2:00 on some days but it is hard to make a consistent time to meet during the school day. We do like having time during faculty meetings once a month and inservice day was great. Maybe another institute day would be helpful.
Hello Visible Thinking Group –
We greatly enjoyed reading your wiki postings and we share the excitement you are creating about visible thinking. Looking back over your postings, it seems like the three consistent members of the group (not discounting the honorary members!) are really working as a team and you are sharing your experiences at different grade levels. Seeing the differences and continuities across developmental levels is fascinating. We are curious to gain a better understanding of the idea of a “through line.” We also hope you will post the Ideas Documentation Rubric you create as well as any ideas on portfolios that you brainstorm.
It is clear that the work you are doing is directly affecting your practice and classroom. The focus is clearly on better understanding the children as individuals and paying attention to the process not just the product. The work you have done in your own classrooms is already having a trickle effect in the larger Baker community. It’s exciting to know that several other teachers are reading the book on visible thinking! Are you interested in sharing more of what you are doing with the Baker faculty and staff or perhaps seeing some ideas implemented in other classrooms? Or is that less of a priority for you as you are exploring it for yourselves right now?
With that question in mind, think about the symposium that we are planning in April. We want to make sure you understand that the sharing of your work can take endless forms and that the focus does not have to be on sharing what you know. It is also interesting to share the process and your wonderings! You mentioned in your last posting that you may work together as a group to present some data. Have you given any more thought to what might be meaningful and helpful to you as a group as well as to the Baker community? In fact, what is your ideal version for the symposium? Who would you like to share with and for what purpose?
Finally, we want you to think about how we can best support your exciting work. Would additional time during a school day help for you to meet? Are there any NLU professors that you would be interested in connecting with at this point? What else can we do to help? We are very excited about your work and truly want to support it as best we can.
Thanks,
“The Group”
Inquiry Group Update Date: September 30, 2011 Members: Liz, Merle, Melissa, *Honorary members: Stacy*, Sara*, Kim*, Lori*, Terri, Christine, Rachel
Primary contact person:
Notes from our discussion:
Through lines- how is it going on in your classroom?
Question decided from last meeting for K, 1, 2 classrooms- How do we use patterns to help us make sense of the world around us?
Liz- wants to change because developmentally K kids are not aware yet. Need observation skill before they can make sense of patterns
-Trickle up effect- looking at what we want to build not get them ready for next grade.
Visible thinking- Engagement understand and independence- tool for understanding the how of what we are doing- more interested in process not product.
-really tunes into children with special needs- what makes them think that? What makes them see that?
-Ask question is a clue into what they are thinking?
We teach children not curriculum
-this tunes into each child’s need.
Change question- (through line)
Where do you see patterns in the world around us?
Patterns in books, line, in nature, from materials to re-producing, connections are humans - patterns are materials.
How do we document the data…
One project 3 times a year
Rubric of what is being observed
Pick one child and follow through year- bring back data to group
Video of class
"Be in the moment with your children"
We need to explain to parents- what it looks like when we start and as they get older- what the process looks like- articulate the intellectual purpose
Everything needs to have a purpose- why is this important to me? Opens up minds to make awareness.
Process of learning not product and goals
World changing- what do we want to teach children? open to exploration; flexibility; problem solving;
Teacher role- looking at the whole group seeing them in an environment
Parent role- child’s view or individual
Perspective- Reality- once they leave K 1st grade is real
Betty weeks- very academic, parents flocked to her; what was it that she had?; she knew children; develop relationship with parent and child;
- really gear into the developmental levels and connect that to the need of the children; need foundation
What is the end product? What are we trying to accomplish from this research?
Next Steps:
Through line Discussion: Change K question- Melissa change wording; 2nd same
Ideas Documentation rubric
Profile a child and bring back information
Portfolio: think about process and what we want to do in each grade
Where are you individually?
Melissa- starting thinking routines and pattern through line question
Merle- continue with through line, implementing 3-4 routines, look at portfolio, more tech savvy
Liz- look at through line question and look at portfolio process
Where are you as a group?
Through line Discussion: Change K question- Melissa change wording; 2nd same
Ideas Documentation rubric
Profile a child and bring back information
Portfolio: think about process and what we want to do in each grade
Possibilities for April symposium contribution: Poster session, presentation, workshop, panel, discussion facilitator, show video of classroom/discussion, ask students to participate in panel, show artifacts from class, lead activity. These are some ideas, but remember that there are many other possibilities. Feel free to think outside the box!
Where are you going individually? (Please include initial idea for the symposium in April):
Melissa, Liz - work as a group and present something data
Where are you going as a group? (Please include initial idea for the symposium in April):
pilot these ideas as a way to document growth of each child and see what outcomes happen.
maybe develop documentation rubric or tool to use in classroom
Updates:
Melissa- updated us on NLU research conference.
- Sat on a panel with other teachers and researchers.
- explained blog and literacy connections within the classroom.
- Melissa made contacts with professors who want to know about process.
-validated importance in the classroom.
-presenting at NEAYC in the Fall. Great way to incorporate technology in the classroom.
- will continue to implement blog and experience within the classroom to see growth overtime
-- discussed how children could be more reflective in using the video; is it developmentally appropriate? is it the logical next step?
Merle and Liz: Think Like A Tree Poem using the Color/Symbol/Image routine. Melissa is going to try it with her students and bring back her data
conversation: Descriptive Review; North Dakota Study Group; looking at student work; NY Times article of forcing skills on 2-3 year old children; parent education about children's thinking;
Next Steps: MM: research on Visible Thinking
LB: process to collect data to track student thinking when they move on to Melissa's room
MS: Develop 'through lines' in each class
Date: 2/28 Names: Liz Barlock, Merle Scharmann, Stacy Buehler, Melissa Makagon Primary contact person: Liz Statement summarizing focus: Exploring various documentation tools in showing our children’s thinking at a pre-k, kindergarten, first and second grade point of view Pre-K- Dictation K and 2nd- Visible Thinking Model and Reggio ‘style’ panel documentation 1st- Vlog / videos of children What we have done so far: (rough notes!) Melissa- presenting on VLOG in April to NLU faculty. Started using Voice Tread with kids to review work digitally, looking at how to reflect better and document experience for herself as the teacher. Merle- updated us on her MLK project. Used the board outside her room to document PROCESS- visually showed why we did it and how it came to be?, starting next unit with the same Visible Thinking tools to see if children carry over knowledge from MLK experience. Liz- used THINK PUZZLE EXPLORE with space study. Children are asking deeper questions about what we are learning. Liz asking the question HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW? has changed direction of teaching. Children are becoming more reflective and doing this with each other. Ex: we have been learning about the solar system- lots of facts about planets. We decided to make up our own solar system. Out of a discussion- the children determined what facts we need to tell about our planet. (Does it rotate? Does it have any moons?) They were translating their knowledge of what makes a planet to create something of their own, documenting with board in hallway. Stacy- starting new unit about the postal system. Brainstormed ideas with us about how to approach the children’s interest and expand on their thinking, how to developmentally make this meaning for the children. What we are doing next: Merle and Liz- Attending national conference in March about Visible Thinking- bringing back info and ideas to the group at the next meeting. Stacy- going to document process of postal/UPS study and going to reflect with us as a group. Melissa- researching more connections or past research related to digital documentation. bringing back thoughts from her presentation. What we need: More time to talk……… J
Inquiry Group Update
Date: Monday, January 24
Names: Liz Barlock
Merle Scharmann
Melissa Makagon
Stacey Buehler (not at this meeting but part of this work)
Primary contact person: Liz
Statement summarizing focus:
Exploring various documentation tools in showing our children’s thinking at a pre-k, kindergarten, first and second grade point of view
Pre-K- Dictation
K and 2nd- Visible Thinking Model and Reggio ‘style’ panel documentation
1st- Vlog / videos of children
What we have done so far:
Melissa-
Gathered data from past blog/vlog; trying to make a connection or find research regarding the use of video documentation.
Started doing blog video with this year’s students but not getting same results or parent feedback.
Brainstormed with group different ways to approach this idea.
Working with NLU person on presenting this idea at a conference
Merle and Liz-
Exploring tools of Visible Thinking- research project by Project Zero at Harvard. Took common idea of Martin Luther King and introduced topic by the THINK-PUZZLE- EXPLORE model.
Developmentally, children in Kindergarten are still seeing the world through the egocentric frame of mind. So, K kids explored the theme of peace, equality and MLK through examining their own skin. Made color wheel of skin colors. Experiemtned with brown, yellow, black and red paint to make unique skin color. Children started seeing differences and similarities among themselves and learned more, through literature, about MLK.
2nd grade children had a base knowledge and some understanding of MLK. Children individually wrote and drew what they THINK they knew about MLK. Next, they wrote and drew about what PUZZLES them about MLK. Merle saw her class completely engaged in the process and social justice piece of this topic. The children took ownership and pride in what they were discovering. They also had to figure out how to ‘find out’ more information about MLK. Merle started using the question- How do you know that? when children stated something they found out. 2nd graders explored literature, listened to MLK’s speech, brown eye/ blue eyes experience, recreated the story of Rosa Park, started a protest, and many other things
Common themes in both classes-
Students felt connected to topic
It was REAL
Children took ownership and were fully engaged in topic
EMPOWERMENT of individual differences and similarities
Liz- I noticed that given silence and time to discuss these topics, the children knew a lot more than I thought. Using the language of “What do you THINK you know?” framed the feedback from students in a whole different way. (Compared to doing a KWL)
What we are doing next:
Merle and Liz- Continue to explore Visible Thinking and maybe attend conference in March
Melissa- find some current research related to using video documentation in the classroom
What we need:
Harry Ross mentioned some names of professors at NLU. I didn’t write down who he mentioned.
DOCUMENTATION IS A CONVERSATION
Request Merle Scharmann's second grade room
Liz Barlock - Kindergarten
Melissa Makagon - First Grade
Merle Scharmann - Second Grade
Session Description:
A mutual interest in coming to know the young child and their developmental differences brought a kindergarten teacher, first grade teacher, and a second grade teacher together around the question “How Do We Know What Our Children Know?”
Through ongoing conversation we have explored Visible Thinking practices, the Reggio approach, Portfolio, and Memory. Come and hear our journey through our ongoing investigation of children and our practice of the art of Documentation. What are our children’s responses to routines in Visible Thinking? How can children “document” their own learning? How do we make the decision of what to document? What is the role of observation?
Join our discussion and you, too, will discover that DOCUMENTATION IS A CONVERSATION.
Hi Visible Thinking Group -
Thanks for your feedback - you are on a great track. We agree with you about your ideas for the symposium. It is OK to not know your destination right now. Sharing your journey at the symposium would be meaningful.
It also sounds like you could really use a chunk of time. We would like to offer a half day that we would get you subs for you to really focus on your work. When you are ready to take advantage of this offer, please submit a brief proposal to us. Please include: desired amount of time, preferred days and times, outcomes, action plan for work, desired expertise or assistance if any.
Thanks,
The Group
Are you interested in sharing more of what you are doing with the Baker faculty and staff or perhaps seeing some ideas implemented in other classrooms? Or is that less of a priority for you as you are exploring it for yourselves right now?
thinking we want to continue to explore with our group. We are still trying to figure out the process and reflect on our findings before we share with the rest of the faculty.
Have you given any more thought to what might be meaningful and helpful to you as a group as well as to the Baker community?
as we document and learn more about our children- we are questions and talking more about child development and appropriate practice. Maybe getting a child development expert in to Baker to speak about what is appropriate for each age level would be helpful.
In fact, what is your ideal version for the symposium? Who would you like to share with and for what purpose?
Much depends on the outcome of the process of this journey... we can talk about our journey but don't really know if our destination will be reached. We would be interested in sharing but don't know what it would look like.
Would additional time during a school day help for you to meet? Are there any NLU professors that you would be interested in connecting with at this point? What else can we do to help?
Maybe after 2:00 on some days but it is hard to make a consistent time to meet during the school day. We do like having time during faculty meetings once a month and inservice day was great. Maybe another institute day would be helpful.
Hello Visible Thinking Group –
We greatly enjoyed reading your wiki postings and we share the excitement you are creating about visible thinking. Looking back over your postings, it seems like the three consistent members of the group (not discounting the honorary members!) are really working as a team and you are sharing your experiences at different grade levels. Seeing the differences and continuities across developmental levels is fascinating. We are curious to gain a better understanding of the idea of a “through line.” We also hope you will post the Ideas Documentation Rubric you create as well as any ideas on portfolios that you brainstorm.
It is clear that the work you are doing is directly affecting your practice and classroom. The focus is clearly on better understanding the children as individuals and paying attention to the process not just the product. The work you have done in your own classrooms is already having a trickle effect in the larger Baker community. It’s exciting to know that several other teachers are reading the book on visible thinking! Are you interested in sharing more of what you are doing with the Baker faculty and staff or perhaps seeing some ideas implemented in other classrooms? Or is that less of a priority for you as you are exploring it for yourselves right now?
With that question in mind, think about the symposium that we are planning in April. We want to make sure you understand that the sharing of your work can take endless forms and that the focus does not have to be on sharing what you know. It is also interesting to share the process and your wonderings! You mentioned in your last posting that you may work together as a group to present some data. Have you given any more thought to what might be meaningful and helpful to you as a group as well as to the Baker community? In fact, what is your ideal version for the symposium? Who would you like to share with and for what purpose?
Finally, we want you to think about how we can best support your exciting work. Would additional time during a school day help for you to meet? Are there any NLU professors that you would be interested in connecting with at this point? What else can we do to help? We are very excited about your work and truly want to support it as best we can.
Thanks,
“The Group”
Inquiry Group Update
Date: September 30, 2011
Members: Liz, Merle, Melissa,
*Honorary members: Stacy*, Sara*, Kim*, Lori*, Terri, Christine, Rachel
Primary contact person:
Notes from our discussion:
Through lines- how is it going on in your classroom?
Question decided from last meeting for K, 1, 2 classrooms- How do we use patterns to help us make sense of the world around us?
Liz- wants to change because developmentally K kids are not aware yet. Need observation skill before they can make sense of patterns
-Trickle up effect- looking at what we want to build not get them ready for next grade.
Visible thinking- Engagement understand and independence- tool for understanding the how of what we are doing- more interested in process not product.
-really tunes into children with special needs- what makes them think that? What makes them see that?
-Ask question is a clue into what they are thinking?
We teach children not curriculum
-this tunes into each child’s need.
Change question- (through line)
Where do you see patterns in the world around us?
Patterns in books, line, in nature, from materials to re-producing, connections are humans - patterns are materials.
How do we document the data…
One project 3 times a year
Rubric of what is being observed
Pick one child and follow through year- bring back data to group
Video of class
"Be in the moment with your children"
We need to explain to parents- what it looks like when we start and as they get older- what the process looks like- articulate the intellectual purpose
Everything needs to have a purpose- why is this important to me? Opens up minds to make awareness.
Process of learning not product and goals
World changing- what do we want to teach children? open to exploration; flexibility; problem solving;
Teacher role- looking at the whole group seeing them in an environment
Parent role- child’s view or individual
Perspective- Reality- once they leave K 1st grade is real
Betty weeks- very academic, parents flocked to her; what was it that she had?; she knew children; develop relationship with parent and child;
- really gear into the developmental levels and connect that to the need of the children; need foundation
What is the end product? What are we trying to accomplish from this research?
Next Steps:
Through line Discussion: Change K question- Melissa change wording; 2nd same
Ideas Documentation rubric
Profile a child and bring back information
Portfolio: think about process and what we want to do in each grade
Where are you individually?
Melissa- starting thinking routines and pattern through line question
Merle- continue with through line, implementing 3-4 routines, look at portfolio, more tech savvy
Liz- look at through line question and look at portfolio process
Where are you as a group?
Through line Discussion: Change K question- Melissa change wording; 2nd same
Ideas Documentation rubric
Profile a child and bring back information
Portfolio: think about process and what we want to do in each grade
Possibilities for April symposium contribution: Poster session, presentation, workshop, panel, discussion facilitator, show video of classroom/discussion, ask students to participate in panel, show artifacts from class, lead activity. These are some ideas, but remember that there are many other possibilities. Feel free to think outside the box!
Where are you going individually? (Please include initial idea for the symposium in April):
Melissa, Liz - work as a group and present something data
Where are you going as a group? (Please include initial idea for the symposium in April):
pilot these ideas as a way to document growth of each child and see what outcomes happen.
maybe develop documentation rubric or tool to use in classroom
Date: 5/16
Names: Liz Barlock, Merle Scharmann, Melissa Makagon
Primary contact person: Liz
Updates:
Melissa- updated us on NLU research conference.
- Sat on a panel with other teachers and researchers.
- explained blog and literacy connections within the classroom.
- Melissa made contacts with professors who want to know about process.
-validated importance in the classroom.
-presenting at NEAYC in the Fall. Great way to incorporate technology in the classroom.
- will continue to implement blog and experience within the classroom to see growth overtime
-- discussed how children could be more reflective in using the video; is it developmentally appropriate? is it the logical next step?
Merle and Liz: Think Like A Tree Poem using the Color/Symbol/Image routine. Melissa is going to try it with her students and bring back her data
conversation: Descriptive Review; North Dakota Study Group; looking at student work; NY Times article of forcing skills on 2-3 year old children; parent education about children's thinking;
Next Steps: MM: research on Visible Thinking
LB: process to collect data to track student thinking when they move on to Melissa's room
MS: Develop 'through lines' in each class
Date: 2/28
Names: Liz Barlock, Merle Scharmann, Stacy Buehler, Melissa Makagon
Primary contact person: Liz
Statement summarizing focus:
Exploring various documentation tools in showing our children’s thinking at a pre-k, kindergarten, first and second grade point of view
Pre-K- Dictation
K and 2nd- Visible Thinking Model and Reggio ‘style’ panel documentation
1st- Vlog / videos of children
What we have done so far: (rough notes!)
Melissa- presenting on VLOG in April to NLU faculty. Started using Voice Tread with kids to review work digitally, looking at how to reflect better and document experience for herself as the teacher.
Merle- updated us on her MLK project. Used the board outside her room to document PROCESS- visually showed why we did it and how it came to be?, starting next unit with the same Visible Thinking tools to see if children carry over knowledge from MLK experience.
Liz- used THINK PUZZLE EXPLORE with space study. Children are asking deeper questions about what we are learning. Liz asking the question HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW? has changed direction of teaching. Children are becoming more reflective and doing this with each other. Ex: we have been learning about the solar system- lots of facts about planets. We decided to make up our own solar system. Out of a discussion- the children determined what facts we need to tell about our planet. (Does it rotate? Does it have any moons?) They were translating their knowledge of what makes a planet to create something of their own, documenting with board in hallway.
Stacy- starting new unit about the postal system. Brainstormed ideas with us about how to approach the children’s interest and expand on their thinking, how to developmentally make this meaning for the children.
What we are doing next:
Merle and Liz- Attending national conference in March about Visible Thinking- bringing back info and ideas to the group at the next meeting.
Stacy- going to document process of postal/UPS study and going to reflect with us as a group.
Melissa- researching more connections or past research related to digital documentation. bringing back thoughts from her presentation.
What we need:
More time to talk……… J
Inquiry Group Update
Date: Monday, January 24
Names: Liz Barlock
Merle Scharmann
Melissa Makagon
Stacey Buehler (not at this meeting but part of this work)
Primary contact person: Liz
Statement summarizing focus:
Exploring various documentation tools in showing our children’s thinking at a pre-k, kindergarten, first and second grade point of view
Pre-K- Dictation
K and 2nd- Visible Thinking Model and Reggio ‘style’ panel documentation
1st- Vlog / videos of children
What we have done so far:
Melissa-
- Gathered data from past blog/vlog; trying to make a connection or find research regarding the use of video documentation.
- Started doing blog video with this year’s students but not getting same results or parent feedback.
- Brainstormed with group different ways to approach this idea.
- Working with NLU person on presenting this idea at a conference
Merle and Liz-Exploring tools of Visible Thinking- research project by Project Zero at Harvard. Took common idea of Martin Luther King and introduced topic by the THINK-PUZZLE- EXPLORE model.
Developmentally, children in Kindergarten are still seeing the world through the egocentric frame of mind. So, K kids explored the theme of peace, equality and MLK through examining their own skin. Made color wheel of skin colors. Experiemtned with brown, yellow, black and red paint to make unique skin color. Children started seeing differences and similarities among themselves and learned more, through literature, about MLK.
2nd grade children had a base knowledge and some understanding of MLK. Children individually wrote and drew what they THINK they knew about MLK. Next, they wrote and drew about what PUZZLES them about MLK. Merle saw her class completely engaged in the process and social justice piece of this topic. The children took ownership and pride in what they were discovering. They also had to figure out how to ‘find out’ more information about MLK. Merle started using the question- How do you know that? when children stated something they found out. 2nd graders explored literature, listened to MLK’s speech, brown eye/ blue eyes experience, recreated the story of Rosa Park, started a protest, and many other things
Common themes in both classes-
- Students felt connected to topic
- It was REAL
- Children took ownership and were fully engaged in topic
- EMPOWERMENT of individual differences and similarities
Liz- I noticed that given silence and time to discuss these topics, the children knew a lot more than I thought. Using the language of “What do you THINK you know?” framed the feedback from students in a whole different way. (Compared to doing a KWL)What we are doing next:
Merle and Liz- Continue to explore Visible Thinking and maybe attend conference in March
Melissa- find some current research related to using video documentation in the classroom
What we need:
Harry Ross mentioned some names of professors at NLU. I didn’t write down who he mentioned.